fourth ;

[thelifemeddler]

[Filtered away from Krasus' enemies, Deathwing, Deathwing's allies, and anyone who would give this information to Deathwing himself.]

Greetings, residents of Cair Paradisa. I am Krasus. You must set aside whatever you are doing and listen to me now, for this announcement concerns every one of you.

[A light voice devoid of inflection or accent

Comments

Krasus

[inafadingcrown]

I would not be so foolish as to approach him myself; almost all dragons have been slain in my world for just such reasons. But I remember well the Elder days and the destruction they wrought. It seems this latest arrival is more akin to my memories than the others here. [Hey, at least she's not judging all dragons.]

That said, if I may aid you in any less direct way, I pray you, do not hesitate to ask. [Because she knows you will be keeping tabs on him, at the very least.]

Lady Galadriel;

[thelifemeddler]

[He catches that acceptance and he is relieved to hear it, though Krasus is still reluctant to out himself even to her.]

I am ever grateful for your aid. Would that we could continue fighting the darkness about this world and not the horrors of my own...

The dragons from my world are not allied with Deathwing. We will most assuredly need their help, as well as the other residents, if we wish to suppress him in any way.

[inafadingcrown]

[And this would be me trying to make the timeline make sense. Yeah, there's going to be a long pause here, since... she's kind of talking to him right now, even if he hasn't given his name. He approached her, okay? This does not make her a hypocrite. She'll report back to you later.]

Lord Krasus

[inafadingcrown]

[When she finally speaks again there is a curious sound to her voice. It's a practiced calm and difficult to read.]

I hope you will forgive my tardiness in this response; I have had a most intriguing visitor in the gardens. Does the name "Neltharion" mean aught to you?

[She rather sounds like she already knows the answer. Unless there are two massive forces of darkness walking about...]

Lady Galadriel;

[thelifemeddler]

[Oh, like he hasn't heard that before. But it's a little scary on Galadriel instead of himself, and Krasus pays her the utmost attention. He doesn't gasp at the name but there's a sharpness about his tone; he should have known that Deathwing would try to sink his teeth into Krasus' favorite elf here.]

I see that he has already put his trickery to use. Neltharion was the name Deathwing wore when he was a trusted ally.

Lord Krasus

[inafadingcrown]

I thought as much.

There was surprisingly little deceit intended, I believe. There was no introduction between us; the name was given to me in the form of a warning. I was told to ask Alexstrasza of the tale. [She pauses] I have not; I would not have my first introduction to the Lady to be the reopening of wounds. I understand his meaning well enough.

Lady Galadriel;

[thelifemeddler]

Even when he does not pass himself as a warden of the earth, there is no doubting his desire to sow chaos. You are fortunate to escape as you have.

[Truth be told, he doesn't trust Deathwing losing his power at all. At the very least, Deathwing's mind still has enough strength to disturb someone beyond all reasoning. It means Krasus wants to see Galadriel /right now/ and make sure that nothing has been left with her, nothing to spy on her or her friends, no taint of dark magic...

He might as well ask.]

Did he leave you any [the barest pause] gifts?

[She would be able to sense such things, he thinks.]

Lord Krasus

[inafadingcrown]

I do not doubt his intentions. Verily, he made no attempt to hide them. [And here she pauses] And that is the strangeness of it. I have had dealings with such beings before; none have been so inclined to converse with me, save one and not even he without attempting to mask his nature.

[She knows exactly what he means.] No, not to my knowledge.

Lady Galadriel;

[thelifemeddler]

[... The irony here is so thick that you can cut it with a knife.] Deathwing is mad. He most likely knows that I have warned the castle one way or another and does it to spite us all.

If you find anything unusual, do let me know.

Lord Krasus; Apologies for the tl;dr

[inafadingcrown]

[Krasus is not the same. Even if she knew she would have said it; the beings she was speaking of were Morgoth and Sauron, not dragons.]

I shall.

[She pauses]Lord Krasus? Allow me to share with you a tale from my world. I told him something similar, but with you I will speak more plainly and go further in the telling

Lady Galadriel; he loves tl;dr are you kidding

[thelifemeddler]

I will listen. [He does value her words quite a bit. Never has she wasted one in his direction. She is everything he expected of a wise elf and more, and so he is very quiet during her tale, and very attentive.]

The betrayal you speak of, the rampant disregard for life itself... There are many parallels between our worlds and I would be a fool not to see them. I understand you very well, Lady Galadriel. I too have devoted my life to staving off the darkness with only a prayer and my own wits. If you would permit my presence, I would gladly stand beside you with my own candle.

Many can accomplish what one cannot. If we fail, at least we do not go alone to our ungraceful end.

Lord Krasus; clearly, this is why they get along so well

[inafadingcrown]

[The slightest hint of a smile forms on her lips and, though he cannot see it, he may hear it in her voice.]

Well spoken. I would expect no less of you. There are few I would rather have by my side under such circumstances.

I cannot say if the grace of the Valar reaches this place and I know not what power the name holds here. Yet I will say this all the same in the hope that some good may come of it: May Elbereth protect you and shine her light upon your path.

Lady Galadriel; yep :)

[thelifemeddler]

I am honored by your words. ['Especially since I'm lying to you.'

He wonders if all elves retain some worship of the light, whether it be the sun or moon or some star.]

I thank you for your blessing. I wish the same for you though I do not know if it would have the same effect: may good fortune come to you and your path be clear and bright, my lady.

Lord Krasus

[inafadingcrown]

[Is it really lying if they both know of the existence of the deception? She has chosen not to probe deeper, after all.]

And you have my thanks in turn. Until we speak again.

Lady Galadriel;

[thelifemeddler]

[That's true. It's something he appreciates, even though he would gladly lead her in circles forever; such is their game, and it is a harmless and fun one.]

Until that time.